Mindy's Book Journey

  Title: They Lurk Author: Ronald Malfi Genre: Horror Published: July 18, 2023 by Titan Books I received a copy for review through NetGalley. They Lurk is a collection of five novellas about the evil that lurks just out of sight waiting to strike. The first four novellas in the collection were previously published by DarkFuse in 2009. Now they are being reprinted by Titan with the addition of a new novella Fierce which is a 100% must read. The novellas seemed to be ordered from least amount of tension and horror to the most. The first two novellas were quiet slow burn stories and then things really kick off from there with ever increasing dread until the ultimate peak in Fierce.  Skullbelly - A private investigator is hired by the families of a group of campers that go missing in the Pacific Northwest where he learns the terrifying local legend of the cryptid, Skullbelly. The character study of the PI, the backwoods small town atmosphere, and the truly horrifying descripti...

  Title: Dead of Winter Author: Darcy Coates Genre: Horror/ Mystery Published: July 11, 2023 by Poisoned Pen Press I received a copy for review through NetGalley.   Christa thought she was going on a romantic week in a secluded resort with the love of her life. What she got was a fight for survival as the tour group are taken out one by one in the middle of a storm that takes away all hopes of escape. Dead of Winter is a fast-paced locked-room mystery slasher. It is a bloody, twisty, death-filled ride. How will the group fare against an ax murderer and the harsh winter conditions of the Rocky Mountains? This was a very effective mystery that keeps the reader guessing and the tension does not let up until the end. Darcy Coates is great at building atmosphere and a sense of dread. That is what makes Dead of Winter such a fast and enjoyable read. I would highly recommend this novel for fans of locked-door mysteries and slasher novels. This one was full of twists and reveals th...